Philippines pushes for integrated approach as multi-morbidity crisis accelerates

A recent policy roundtable in Manila highlighted the urgent need for a joined-up healthcare approach to address the rising burden of overlapping heart, kidney, and metabolic illnesses, with a focus on early detection and care coordination.

Millions of Filipinos are living with overlapping heart, kidney and metabolic illnesses that often remain undetected until they are already advanced, according to a report on a policy roundtable organised in Manila. The event, held on 30 July, was convened by ACCESS Health International with the German-Philippine Chamber of Commerce and Industry and the European Chamber of Commerce of the Philippines, with support from Boehringer Ingelheim Philippines, and brought together officials, clinicians, patient groups and academics to push for a more joined-up approach to care. A policy dialogue on the same theme had also been held in Pasay City on 26 June as stakeholders prepared for the larger forum, underscoring how the issue is moving from discussion to coordination.

At the centre of the discussion was a simple problem: the conditions now grouped as cardio-renal-metabolic disease are closely linked, yet the health system still tends to treat them separately. ACCESS Health International said the roundtable focused on prevention, earlier diagnosis, patient access, care coordination and evidence-based policymaking, with participants calling for stronger health information systems, disease registries and sustainable financing. That framing is supported by a 2025 narrative review indexed on PubMed, which found that the growing global burden of cardio-renal-metabolic syndrome is being driven by ageing, urbanisation, obesity and diabetes, and that low- and middle-income countries face a disproportionate share of the impact.

PhilHealth used the forum to signal that it sees early primary care as central to tackling the problem. “Because these conditions do not exist in isolation, protecting our citizens requires investing in early primary care. PhilHealth stands firm in its commitment to expanding financial risk protection, strengthening primary care financing, and ensuring the long-term sustainability of chronic disease management,” said Atty. Eli Dino D. Santos, executive vice president and chief operating officer. The National Kidney Transplant Institute added a stark economic dimension, saying chronic kidney disease carries costs far beyond hospital bills because it reduces productivity and places strain on families and the wider system.

The urgency is heightened by the scale of kidney disease in the Philippines. One report in April said dialysis patients could rise to 150,000 by 2030 from around 80,000 in 2025, while a June Philippine Information Agency report said one Filipino develops chronic kidney failure every hour. ACCESS Health said the roundtable was meant to turn shared concern into practical action, with its regional director, Rohini Omkar Prasad, saying no single institution can solve the problem alone. The broader message from the gathering was that the country needs earlier detection, more connected treatment pathways and policy tools that reflect how closely these diseases interact.